Missouri Tigers
Overall Rank: #32
Conference Rank: #12 SEC
After having an interim coach last season, Missouri will begin the Larissa Anderson era in 2019. The Tigers have made every NCAA Tournament since 2007 and Coach Anderson should be able to continue that success. She had great success with Hofstra and has a very talented roster to work with at Missouri. Madi Norman has spent the last two seasons splitting the bulk of the pitching duties, but now she should be the main threat in the circle for the Tigers. Last year the senior went 9-8 in 31 appearances with a 3.63 ERA. Missouri will need to find a secondary pitching option, but Norman will be able to handle a bulk of the innings.
2018: 30-29, 6-17
2018 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Larissa Anderson
Key Departed Players:
Amanda Sanchez, IF, .374 BA, 12 HR, 37 RBI
Rylee Pierce, IF, .318 BA, 8 HR, 23 RBI
Braxton Burnside, IF, .275 BA, 28 RBI
Lauren Rice, P, 3.25 ERA, 12-15 W/L, 146.2 IP, 86 SO
Key Returning Players:
Regan Nash, OF, .321 BA, 16 RBI, 19 SB
Kolby Romaine, IF, .319 BA, 6 HR, 25 RBI
Cayla Kessinger, OF, .312 BA, 10 HR, 20 RBI
Brooke Wilmes, IF, .295 BA, 5 HR, 27 RBI
Madi Norman, P, 3.63 ERA, 9-8 W/L, 131.0 IP, 73
Projection:
Missouri was one of the best power hitting teams in the SEC last year, hitting nearly one homerun per game. That pace may be hard to keep up, but the return of Cayla Kessinger will certainly help. The junior outfielder hit ten homeruns and batted .312 on the year. Kolby Romaine and Brooke Wilmes can also hit for power and average. Regan Nash is not the same power hitting threat, but she will get on base consistently. There are some significant players to replace in the lineup, most notably Amanda Sanchez and Rylee Pierce, but this should be an offense that can do enough to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Winning SEC titles may be a little ways off still, but the Tigers can push for a .500 record in conference play after going just 6-17 last year and that is more than enough to be a very dangerous tournament team.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Softball Tournament
